The Social Democratic Party congress has adopted new guidelines for its integration policy.
We have total consensus within the party, says Lawen Redar, a member of the party executive.
The foundation should be a strict migration policy for a foreseeable period, with asylum rules at the EU's minimum level.
There has been internal criticism that the Social Democratic Party sounds too much like the Sweden Democrats. However, at the congress, many critics were satisfied with getting a softer "tone" in the guidelines and that it states that the right to asylum should be protected.
Those who claim that our policy is a kind of Sweden Democrats-light should read again. It describes people as resources, not as problems, says Carl Melin, congress delegate from Stockholm County.
Limit immigration
Integration should, according to the Social Democratic Party, be facilitated through large investments in vulnerable areas. The plan is for the state and municipalities to enter into agreements on investments through so-called Sweden negotiations, where the business community, real estate companies, and civil society are also involved.
Furthermore, the Social Democratic Party wants the state to take greater responsibility for building away the housing shortage to reduce overcrowding.
The guidelines also state that immigration to vulnerable areas of people living on welfare benefits should be limited. It is about public housing companies more often setting demands for self-sufficiency for those who want to move in, which is already done in some municipalities.
We are not forcing anyone to move, clarifies Jonas Attenius, the municipal councilor in Göteborg.
The right for asylum seekers to arrange their own accommodation, the ebo-law, should be completely, according to the Social Democratic policy.
The Social Democratic Party wants to stop assigning newly arrived immigrants to municipal districts with vulnerable areas. Municipalities where many newly arrived immigrants have settled should be exempt from municipal placements.
No specific year
Another important part of the policy is an active language policy. Swedish should be the main language in preschool and school. For language-deficient staff in schools and care, language tests and language training during paid working hours should be promoted.
The government wants to see a language requirement to become a Swedish citizen. The party executive in the Social Democratic Party also wanted that. However, the formulation in the guidelines was softened by the congress to demand language requirements "in principle" for citizenship.
No specific year for when the goal of Sweden not having any vulnerable areas should be achieved exists. Jonas Attenius believes it can take 5-10 years in Göteborg.
